Daniel Florentin Abstract The Immigration of Sephardic Jews from Turkey and the Balkans to New York, 1904-1924: Struggling for Survival and Keeping Identity in a Pluralistic Society The massive immigration from the Balkan countries (primarily Turkey and Greece) to North America occurred from 1904-1924. These Jews, approximately 30,000, were descendents of the Jews who in 1492 fled from the Inquisition in Spain, then less than a decade later from the Inquisition in Portugal, and now were escaping the anti-semitic violence of the Balkan regime. These Jews, known as Sephardim or Sephardic Jews, had lived relatively free of persecution for 400 years under the Ottoman rule and now sought in the United States, a place to continue using the Judeo-Spanish language, Ladino, in their everyday domestic and religious community life. When they arrived in New York, they found only a small number of Sephardic Jews, mostly businessmen who had participated in World Commercial Exhibitions. The 1908 "Young Turks" revolution in Turkey and the 1917 "Big Fire" in Salonika, Greece provided the main impetus for the Jews to seek a new continent to build a better future. Living so long under Ottoman rule,
2 these Jews mixed Islamic habits and culture with the noticeably predominate Spanish-Judeo culture and language. Almost all the Sephardic Jews settled in the Lower East Side of New York City. They met, among many others, the Jewish Russian and Eastern European immigrants. Before long, the Eastern Europeans left the Sephardim isolated, strangers and aliens within the greater Jewish community. Most Sephardim experienced difficulties assimilating for the following six reasons. The Sephardim: Were a relatively small community Were unwilling to adopt the Yiddish language and Eastern European institutions and establishments Hung on to old Ottoman and Spanish traditions and culture Possessed low motivation to adopt business initiatives Arrived at an inopportune time Created few social, economic, or political networks. The most significant assimilation barrier was the small community. Almost two million European Jews 1.5 million from Russia and Poland, 400 thousand from Germany settled in the United States in the
3 nineteenth century and before, and in the beginning of the 20 th century. They did not readily accept this small population (less than 2% of the total Jewish population in America) who could not speak Yiddish and who looked Oriental. The Jews living in the Ottoman Empire lived in closed, secluded communities. Each community had its own leader who was responsible for the contacts between the Turkish authorities and the community. Only the community leader needed to know Turkish or any language other than Ladino because he represented everybody and conducted all negotiations with all non-jewish entities. The Sephardim brought both the traditions of a secluded community and their dependence on Ladino to America. For two reasons the Sephardic Jews did not quickly acquire personal responsibility skills. One, unlike the European Jews who lived independent lives centering around self-responsibility, the concept of individualism did not exist among most of the Balkan immigrants. They believed their community leader should take care of the community needs and even take responsibility for their lives. This may explain why many of them did not learn English, did not develop their education, and did not start up new independent businesses. A second reason many did not take
4 on the American concept of individualism is they hoped and believed their stay in America was temporary. Once they saved some money, once the Balkans calmed down, they would return to their beloved Turkey and Greece and continue life as before. Whereas the European Jews assumed, when they arrived in the nineteenth century, they would stay and they would succeed. They did not have any place to which they could return and they had marketable, needed skills and business experience they could use in the United States. The political climate when the Sephardim arrived in America was problematic. The United States entered the First World War in 1917, fighting against the Ottoman Empire. Even if the Sephardim had the motivation, shedding all remnants of the acquired Turkish culture would have been difficult. They believed keeping a low profile was the best policy. Long before the Balkan Jews arrived, the European Jews had established connections with the local and Federal governments. Interconnected with their political networking was their business acumen. When the German Jews arrived, they used their connections all over Europe as they contributed to America's industrial surge. Jews still living in Europe and some high ranking American officials helped the newly-arrived European
5 Jews develop their American businesses and political careers. In other words, the European Jews were able to import their banking and business skills, continue to use their European expert connections and draw on the American politically and economically powerful people. The vast majority of the Balkan Jews didn't have modern business skills to bring with them, nor did they have ranking European contacts. Complicating this dilemma, the European Jews hesitated to ruin their hard won success by associating with the Sephardic Jews who looked and behaved like the Balkan enemy and who made little effort to speak or behave like Americans. A group of European Jews prepared a petition to the mayor complaining about these "strange looking men that seat in their little coffees, having their tea in small glasses and smoking from their long water pipes". Some Sephardic Jews understood the need to assimilate. Mr. Moise Gadol, owner and publisher of the Ladino newspaper La America, 1910-1925, begged his fellow immigrants to leave the coffee houses, learn English, and find jobs. The one Jewish organization that assisted the new Sephardic immigrants in every way religiously, morally, physically, and financially was the "Sheerith Israel," or "the remnants of Israel". This congregation never gave up helping the Balkan Jews despite the dissatisfaction and complaints of the new Ladino immigrants.
6 The twentieth-century Sephardic Immigration to America closes the circle. The roots of the American "Sheerith Israel" were planted in New Amsterdam in 1654. They also fled the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. However, instead of following the tens of thousands of Jews who settled in Turkey and Greece, they moved to the New America and planted the roots for assisting these fellow Sephardic Jews as they had to adjust to 20 th century America. The present day "Sheerith Israel" still exists, now on 70 th street near Central Park in Manhattan. This bespeaks the Ladino phrase: "La sangre noonka no seaze agua" or "The blood never turns to water".